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Wednesday, November 22, 2006

I know -- this is way too late to be much help for tomorrow, but here it is anyway: the recipe I use for our Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys. I've tried a lot of things over the years, but since this recipe appeared in the November 2001 edition of Food & Wine, I've never tried any other recipes. We've come to know it as Drunken Turkey.

Take your fingers and work them under the turkey skin to separate it from the breast and thighs. Take your time and don't tear the skin if you can help it. Put a large oven bag in a bowl and set the turkey in it with the cavity side up. Pour the bourbon mixture between the skin and the bird and then seal the bag up tight. Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, take the bird out of the bag and place it in a roasting pan. Save the marinade. Take about half of the butter and rub it on the bird underneath the skin; rub the other half on the outside of the skin. Stuff the cavity of the bird with sliced citrus, apples, and onions and then tie the legs together and pour half of the reserved marinade over the top of the turkey. Put in a preheated 325 oven and roast for thrity minutes. Baste the bird with the pan juices and add a couple of cups of water to the pan. Cook for another hour, basting every thirty minutes. Cover loosely with foil and cook for another hour or two, depending on the size of the turkey.

When you move the turkey to the carving platter, make sure to drain the pan juices to make an incredible gravy. Cover the bird loosely with foil to keep it warm. Put the pan juices in a small containter and put it in the freezer for a few minutes. The fat will begin to congeal on the top and you can remove it easily. Take about six tablespoons of the fat and melt it in a saucepan. Once it is hot, add the flour to make a roux. Warm the chicken broth and add it to the roux, whisking constantly to make the broth thicken. Add the pan juices and pecans and simmer for about fifteen minutes to really let the flavors mix. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix the softened cream cheese and the brown sugar together in an electric mixer until they are well blended and smooth. Add brickle bits and mix until they are distributed evenly. That's it!

Slice the apples and then keep them in a sealed bowl or bag with lemon juice until you are ready to serve. This will keep them from turning brown. The trace of lemon juice adds a nice contrast to the sweetness of the dip as well.

Here's something quick to make and fun to have around for the holidays.

4 egg whites1 bag fresh cranberries1 bag confectioner's sugar

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Pour over cranberries in a bowl and toss until coated. Put the sugar in a large Zip-Lock bag. Two or three berries at a time, shake off the excess egg white and drop in the bag. Shake the bag to coat the berries and then pour them out, with the extra sugar, on a baking sheet and let dry. The sugar will turn crusty. When you bite into them, you get the sweet taste and then the tart. They will keep for several days in a sealed tin or a Zip-Lock bag.